The use of file follower arrangements in one or more drawers of furniture components in an office environment provides convenient support of various papers, files, and other contents of the drawer. Typically, a follower plate or compressor is held in place transverse the drawer opening in abutting engagement with the contents of the drawer. The follower plate in these arrangements is typically adjustable in a longitudinal direction along the drawer opening to permit the number of files in the various classifications to be varied, while maintaining the remaining files in desired upright positions. This permits more efficient use of the cabinet space.
Numerous file follower arrangements have been previously proposed in the art. However, the installation and maintenance requirements of these arrangements have posed practical difficulties. Principle among these difficulties is the complexity of the locking mechanisms utilized so that the follower may be releasably retained at the desired location within the drawer opening. For example, various file follower locking arrangements have been proposed which utilize a locking bar extending the width-wise dimension of the drawer proximate to the file follower. The locking bar is moved to actuate or deactuate locking mechanisms disposed in the sides of the drawer. While these arrangements work adequately for their intended purpose, they are typically unattractive and awkward, requiring an inordinate amount of interactive mechanical parts. They are therefore susceptible to breakdown or failure over extended periods of time.
Other attempts have been made in this field which utilize multiple locking piece assemblies wherein multiple camming or locking pieces are disposed in the side channels of a file drawer for locking or unlocking the file follower. As with the locking bar arrangements, however, these types of locking assemblies also suffer from the afore-noted problems.
Still other approaches for other applications, such as for card trays, have utilized disc-like cams to lock card tray followers and thereby retain quantities of cards in place. One example of this approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,432. This arrangement, however, fails to address the problems of retaining files within a drawer space.